New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-24

TO GIVE THE Bill FAIR TRIAL.
FEARS FOR INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
CHICAGO MEN WHO THINK THE ACT WILL sEPA.
RATE THE EAST FROM THE WEST IN TRADE.
IBr TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUNEl

CHICAGO MEN WHO THINK THE ACT WILL sEPA-
RATE THE EAST FROM THE WEST IN TRADE.
IBr TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUSEl
CHICAGO, Jan. 23.-The Commissioner of the
central Traffic Association has issued notice
| 10 the general manager for q meeting here
on February 2, for the ostensibe purpose
OF considering the Interstate Commerce bill
ana to outline q Of action 1t is considered by
the Western railway managers certain that the
President will sign the BILL r. b. Blackstone, presi-
dent of the Chicago and Alton road speaking of the
bill, said:
can't say what effect the passage of the bill will
have. No two have been found who think alike
upon H. Why, even the committeeman were divided
upon IT, We cannot tell what the bill will require Of
us yet 1t will take some time for us to find out the
various provisions it contains am not prepared to
state what the effect will be upon the railroads /
don't know what benefit if any, 1t will he to the roads,
ana IL remains for the people to find out what benefit
u VIII be to them. The bill will be construed in each
locality to suit the views of the people in that locality
think the railroads inclined to give the bill fair
trial. and it will then be where the defects any,
lie shall that the bin is carefully lived up TO-
and 1t will then remain with the shippers to the
defects and seek remedy therefor 1t is only by
just trial that the bill can be proven and its provisions
should be lived to by every railroad in the oIntry
II has been said that the railroads would be greatly
bene1ted by the passage of this bill Those who make
that statement must argue upon the basis OF an ad-
vance in local rates. This would be great injustice
to our customers and they would not stand 1t long
The best way to find the flaws in the bill is to obey 1t
strictly and this believe the railroads propose to
do"
President Albert Keep of the Chicago and North
western railway holds radical views. lie said he
elect OF the passage Of that law in my Judgment viii
be IN measure if not entirely to stop all competition
between railroads from interstate points, to destroy
competition at all terminal points, and the result VIII
be serious to the West am in favor of an interstae
commerce law as much any man III the world, ana
believe the want of it has made the railroads poor II
they had had it you would have heard OF pool
and the long and short haul had been left out OF this
MI aul1 hnxra hnnp oil riyhf ia
cause OF the long and short haul that think we have
TO fear It, II will benefit railroads at the expense of
the general public Common sense will tell you that
the railroads had been opposed to It they would nave
fought 1t but they did not make move as u Will
beneht them For example, at the present time ~ per
cent OF the of railroad IL derived IRON lis
local traffic and 20 per cent from through hauis Now
II stands To reason that railroad viii throw away
the 50 per get the 20: consequently the local
rates Will remain tue same ana the thIo1gh rates wiz
60 up. | think it will work fearfully hard on the
Western country, and If ii becomes law and l5 al
lowed to stand for twenty years II will divide the East
and West commercially for this reason: The result OF
destroying competition all the railways at terminal
points will be that these Western towns viii have to
do all their manufacturing. and VIII have To make
a consumption for all surplus product at home be
cause they cannot export them: III VIII dement, tne
Canadian railroads. Take the Union Pacific. tor IN
stance. 1t cannot enter into competition for through
freight under that law but the Canadian Pacific, not
being under control. do and Will 90 1t sue
ccssfuly every time. hope that will not be the effect
of 1t. but after reading it and studying 1t carefully
wa: The result viii be that the railroads will te-
come m itraTy by act of Congress"
Ex-Congrc. 4man W. ID. Wasbburn. Of Minnesota,
saws in reference - the bill that the people will suffer
most from its demands. and that the bill will prove
anything but satisfactory - any one. The west: he
SAYS will specially suffer from i: lie claims ,i', no
city will suffer much as Chicago nc says %
neapolis has grown absolutely from the ueH's " eiI
long haul. and now that rates the long h~-" II.
De- raised she will send her freight not by Chicago
by water and around Saut Ste Marie. Min nesota and
al that portion of the Northwest will lie the losers ny
the bill" Mr. Wa-hburn looks upon the bill as dis
astrou. TO the West.